Sedgley
Encyclopedia
Sedgley is an urban village within the West Midlands
county of England
. Historically
a part of Staffordshire
, Sedgley was formerly an ancient manor
composed of several smaller villages, including Gornal
, Gospel End
, Woodsetton, Ettingshall
, Coseley
and Brierley (now called Bradley
). In 1966 it was merged into the Dudley County Borough, now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
.
border. The original Old English place name was 'Secg's lēah' – Secg being a personal name (meaning sword bearing man or warrior) and lēah meaning wood, glade or woodland clearing.
In 1897, the villages of Coseley, Ettingshall and Brierley broke away from the Manor of Sedgley to form the Coseley Urban District Council
. At the same time, Sedgley Urban District
Council was formed to include the rest of the manor, with the exception of Gospel End (which became a part of the Seisdon Rural District
). The entire area was part of the Wolverhampton Parliamentary Borough
, created in 1832.
Part of the east of Sedgley was transferred to Dudley as long ago as 1926 to allow for the development of the Priory Estate
, where new council houses were built to rehouse families from slums in Dudley town centre.The Sedgley-Dudley border was moved further back in 1954 to include the new Old Park Farm estate in Dudley.
Sedgley Urban District Council survived until 1966, when the majority of the area was merged into the Dudley County Borough along with Coseley and Brierley Hill
. The Gospel End
area, however, was absorbed into Seisdon
(from 1974 South Staffordshire
) and the Goldthorn Park
estate in the extreme north of the town was absorbed into Wolverhampton
, as was the northern half of neighbouring Coseley.
Sedgley expanded rapidly during the early part of the 20th century, in response to the development of the nearby Baggeridge Colliery
. After its closure in 1968 it was bought by Seisdon Rural District Council, and later granted country park
status in 1970. On January 12, 1981, full reclamation of the land commenced.
Many pre-1900 buildings in Sedgley survive to this day. They include Queen Victoria Primary School (1897), All Saints' Church (1805) and the early 19th century Court House, now used as a public house.
The Bull Ring site has been occupied by a traffic island since about 1950. It is surrounded by a few public houses. The Court House, built in the early 19th century, was once the town's magistrates' court. These law courts were relocated to a building at the nearby police station until the town's courts were declared redundant in 1988. The Court House is still open, having been part of the Mr Q's pub chain, however it is now independently owned. The Red Lion is approximately the same age as the Court House, and was once the village prison. It is still connected to the Court House by a passageway, though this has long fallen into disuse. The Clifton was opened in 1937 as Sedgley's first cinema, and remained open until 1978, when it closed and was converted into a bingo hall before being taken over by JD Wetherspoon and converted into a public house in 1998.
Presto
opened a large supermarket on High Holborn in the town centre in 1987, on the site of a former filling station – with a former public car park being incorporated into the supermarket. A year later it was rebranded Safeway
, and since 2004 has been owned by Midcounties Co-Operative.
houses, flats and bungalows. Three-bedroom houses are the most frequent type of property in the area. Some residents on the estate are tenants of their homes, while others have shared ownership or full ownership. High Arcal is the largest post-1970s housing development in Sedgley.
has served the area since 1962, by which time most of the current surrounding houses had been built. There is also a nature reserve which was previously owned by Dudley MBC and had free admission, but has since been sold to a private landowner and admission fees now have to be paid.
A nature reserve was opened in the area by Dudley council in 1969, and for 30 years entry was free until the council introduced entry charges.
Demand for properties on the estate is traditionally high (although the local housing market has suffered as a result of the recent recession
) but in recent years the estate has been blighted by a number of criminal residents. These include David Harrison, a heroin addict with a catalogue of convictions for theft and burglary, whose most recent conviction came in January 2010 when at the age of 25 he was jailed for five years after being convicted of having sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl as well as supply heroin and cocaine to her, as well as abducting and indecently assaulting her. He had already been subjected to a court order barring him from contact with her amid previous concerns about their relationship, and was also found guilty of breaching this order. He was finally brought to justice after the girl was reported missing and drug addicts at a drug den in Telford
later altered police to them amid concern about her age. He had also taken her on shoplifting sprees in order to fund their drug use.
The estate also features shops with flats above them.
Former Walsall F.C.
footballer Chris Marsh
was born in Wordsley Hospital in 1969 and lived on the Brownswall estate for his Teens and early Twenties.
Alder Coppice Primary School was opened on the Northway estate in 1963.
Adjoining the estate is Sedgley Hall Park, built in the grounds of Sedgley Hall, a 15th century house which was demolished in 1966.
The centre of the Northway Estate features a shopping area, medical centre, supermarket and public house.
, hence a famous local history question: 'What is the oldest building in Sedgley?' Famous buildings in Woodsetton include Holdens Brewery
and the Park Inn public house. Since the 1950s, children in Woodsetton have had a primary school in their local community – Bramford Primary School.
The borders of the historic Woodsetton village were altered in 1926 when the rural land including Mons Hill
, Wren's Nest
hill and Dudley Castle
were transferred to Dudley
to enable the construction of the Priory Estate
by Dudley council over the next decade.
One of the most familiar sights in the Black Country
was the wooden cobbler's
hut on the corner of Sedgley Road and Birmingham New Road, which was set up by cobbler Jim Hughes during the 1950s. He remained at the site until the late 1980s, when he closed his business down and the shed was demolished.
Most of the houses in Woodsetton are on the Bramford housing estate. The first houses on the estate were built in the late 1930s, but only a handful of houses had been completed by the time the Second World War began, and the bulk of the estate was developed in the late 1940s
and 1950s
. Several hundred houses exist on the estate, with a mix of private and council tenure.
, one of several Beacon hills in England, is 237 metres (778 ft) above sea level and is the second-highest point in the West Midlands
. It is well known for fossils. The hill was once the site where beacons were lit to warn local people of invaders. Sedgley Beacon Hill provides views across The Black Country, Cannock Chase
and Birmingham
to the east, and to the Wrekin, Clee Hills
and Malvern Hills
to the west, and on very clear days it is possible to see the hills of North Staffordshire and Derbyshire, as well as the mountains of both North and South Wales. It is also possible to see another Beacon hill – Barr Beacon
, some 15 miles away.
A council housing estate was built at the foot of Sedgley Beacon in the interwar years and named the Beacon Estate.
. The church is located on the corner of Vicar Street and Dean Street, with the modern vicarage and church hall on the opposite side of Vicar Street.
At the time, it was the only parish church in the large but relatively lightly populated parish of Sedgley, but the parish was later divided into five ecclesiastical districts – Sedgley, Lower Gornal, Upper Gornal, Ettingshall
and Coseley
. Each of these newly-created parishes had their own church.
, Dudley, Bilston
and Tipton
.
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
county of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Sedgley was formerly an ancient manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
composed of several smaller villages, including Gornal
Gornal
-India:*Gornal, Bidar, a settlement in the Bidar district of Karnataka*Gornal, Bijapur, a settlement in Bijapur district, Karnataka-Spain:*Gornal , near Barcelona**Gornal , station serving Gornal-United Kingdom:...
, Gospel End
Gospel End
Gospel End is a village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated on the A463 road, between Sedgley and Wombourne....
, Woodsetton, Ettingshall
Ettingshall
Ettingshall is an area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, and is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council.-History:Ettingshall was mentioned as an ancient manor in the Domesday Book of 1086...
, Coseley
Coseley
Coseley is a town located mostly within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands. Part of the Black Country, it lies south east of Wolverhampton and north of Dudley....
and Brierley (now called Bradley
Bradley, West Midlands
Bradley was originally a village in the Manor of Sedgley, England. Nowadays it is situated in the Bilston East ward of Wolverhampton City Council....
). In 1966 it was merged into the Dudley County Borough, now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
.
History
The place name Sedgley was first mentioned in a 985 charter from King Æthelred to Lady Wulfrūn, when describing the WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
border. The original Old English place name was 'Secg's lēah' – Secg being a personal name (meaning sword bearing man or warrior) and lēah meaning wood, glade or woodland clearing.
In 1897, the villages of Coseley, Ettingshall and Brierley broke away from the Manor of Sedgley to form the Coseley Urban District Council
Coseley Urban District
Coseley Urban District was a local government district which was created in 1894.It was made up of the villages of Brierley, Woodsetton, Ettingshall and Coseley, which had previously been part of the ancient manor of Sedgley....
. At the same time, Sedgley Urban District
Sedgley Urban District
Sedgley Urban District was a local authority which was created in 1894 from half of the manor of Sedgley ....
Council was formed to include the rest of the manor, with the exception of Gospel End (which became a part of the Seisdon Rural District
Seisdon Rural District
Seisdon was a rural district in Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It lay west of Wolverhampton and was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 based on the Seisdon rural sanitary district....
). The entire area was part of the Wolverhampton Parliamentary Borough
Wolverhampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Wolverhampton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Wolverhampton in Staffordshire. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, created in 1832.
Part of the east of Sedgley was transferred to Dudley as long ago as 1926 to allow for the development of the Priory Estate
Priory Estate
The Priory Estate is a housing estate in Dudley, West Midlands, England, which has largely been developed since 1929.-History:The Priory Estate is so named because it is located near the Priory ruins and Priory Park...
, where new council houses were built to rehouse families from slums in Dudley town centre.The Sedgley-Dudley border was moved further back in 1954 to include the new Old Park Farm estate in Dudley.
Sedgley Urban District Council survived until 1966, when the majority of the area was merged into the Dudley County Borough along with Coseley and Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill
Brierley Hill is a town and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is one of the larger Black Country towns with a population of 9,631 and is heavily industrialised, best known for glass and steel manufacturing, although the industry has declined...
. The Gospel End
Gospel End
Gospel End is a village in the South Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. It is situated on the A463 road, between Sedgley and Wombourne....
area, however, was absorbed into Seisdon
Seisdon
Seisdon is a rural village in the county of Staffordshire approximately six miles west of Wolverhampton.-Etymology:The name appears to mean "hill of the Saxons", deriving from the Anglo-Saxon words Seis meaning Saxon and Dun meaning hill.-History:...
(from 1974 South Staffordshire
South Staffordshire
South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. The district lies to the north and west of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, bordering Shropshire to the west and Worcestershire to the south...
) and the Goldthorn Park
Goldthorn Park
Goldthorn Park is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands. It is situated to the south of the city centre within the Blakenhall ward.It mostly consists of nearly 2,000 private houses built in the 1920s and 1930s housing...
estate in the extreme north of the town was absorbed into Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, as was the northern half of neighbouring Coseley.
Sedgley expanded rapidly during the early part of the 20th century, in response to the development of the nearby Baggeridge Colliery
Baggeridge Colliery
Baggeridge Colliery was a colliery located in Sedgley, Staffordshire , England.- Black Country Pit :It was opened in 1899, adjacent to Gospel End Village more than a mile west of Sedgley village centre, and on its closure on 2 March 1968 was the last remaining pit in the Black Country, marking the...
. After its closure in 1968 it was bought by Seisdon Rural District Council, and later granted country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
status in 1970. On January 12, 1981, full reclamation of the land commenced.
Many pre-1900 buildings in Sedgley survive to this day. They include Queen Victoria Primary School (1897), All Saints' Church (1805) and the early 19th century Court House, now used as a public house.
Bull Ring
The central area of Sedgley, so named because it was originally the site of bull baiting before the sport was declared illegal in 1835. All signs of the actual ring were destroyed in about 1930 on the construction of a traffic island, but the traffic island is still known as the "Bull Ring".The Bull Ring site has been occupied by a traffic island since about 1950. It is surrounded by a few public houses. The Court House, built in the early 19th century, was once the town's magistrates' court. These law courts were relocated to a building at the nearby police station until the town's courts were declared redundant in 1988. The Court House is still open, having been part of the Mr Q's pub chain, however it is now independently owned. The Red Lion is approximately the same age as the Court House, and was once the village prison. It is still connected to the Court House by a passageway, though this has long fallen into disuse. The Clifton was opened in 1937 as Sedgley's first cinema, and remained open until 1978, when it closed and was converted into a bingo hall before being taken over by JD Wetherspoon and converted into a public house in 1998.
Presto
Presto (UK Supermarket)
Presto Foodmarkets was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in Great Britain. The brand finally disappeared during 1998.-Presto Foodmarkets:...
opened a large supermarket on High Holborn in the town centre in 1987, on the site of a former filling station – with a former public car park being incorporated into the supermarket. A year later it was rebranded Safeway
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
, and since 2004 has been owned by Midcounties Co-Operative.
High Arcal Estate
Situated to the south of the town centre. It was developed in phases on part of a public open space between 1992 and 1996, and consists of around 300 Housing AssociationHousing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
houses, flats and bungalows. Three-bedroom houses are the most frequent type of property in the area. Some residents on the estate are tenants of their homes, while others have shared ownership or full ownership. High Arcal is the largest post-1970s housing development in Sedgley.
Cotwall End
Situated around the rural Cotwall End Valley. A few pre-1900 buildings still exist, but the face of the area has changed dramatically since the Second World War by the construction of mostly upmarket detached houses in Cotwall End Road and Catholic Lane. Cotwall End Primary SchoolCotwall End Primary School
Cotwall End Primary School is a primary school for boys and girls in Sedgley, West Midlands, England. There are approximately 420 pupils on the school roll. The school's head teacher is Mrs Nicole Anderton.-History:...
has served the area since 1962, by which time most of the current surrounding houses had been built. There is also a nature reserve which was previously owned by Dudley MBC and had free admission, but has since been sold to a private landowner and admission fees now have to be paid.
A nature reserve was opened in the area by Dudley council in 1969, and for 30 years entry was free until the council introduced entry charges.
Brownswall Estate
Situated to the north of Cotwall End Valley, this private housing estate was developed by Coseley-based builders Joseph Webb in the mid to late 1950s, consisting of semi-detached and detached houses and bungalows with either two or three bedrooms. It is also served by a recreation ground which includes a large football pitch and at one stage also a playground, but the play area was finally dismantled in 2000 after years of vandalism. The recreation ground has since fallen into almost complete disuse among children due to its reputation as a congregation area for older youths drinking alcohol and taking drugs. It has also been occupied by gypsies on at least one occasion.Demand for properties on the estate is traditionally high (although the local housing market has suffered as a result of the recent recession
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
) but in recent years the estate has been blighted by a number of criminal residents. These include David Harrison, a heroin addict with a catalogue of convictions for theft and burglary, whose most recent conviction came in January 2010 when at the age of 25 he was jailed for five years after being convicted of having sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl as well as supply heroin and cocaine to her, as well as abducting and indecently assaulting her. He had already been subjected to a court order barring him from contact with her amid previous concerns about their relationship, and was also found guilty of breaching this order. He was finally brought to justice after the girl was reported missing and drug addicts at a drug den in Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
later altered police to them amid concern about her age. He had also taken her on shoplifting sprees in order to fund their drug use.
The estate also features shops with flats above them.
Former Walsall F.C.
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
footballer Chris Marsh
Chris Marsh
Christopher "Chris" Marsh was a British footballer who is best remembered for his time with Walsall football club, for whom he made over 470 appearances in all competitions.-Career:...
was born in Wordsley Hospital in 1969 and lived on the Brownswall estate for his Teens and early Twenties.
Northway
Situated north of Cotwall End towards the border with Wolverhampton. The development began in the 1950s on land to the north of Gospel End Road, gathered pace in the 1960s and was completed in the 1970s (by which time some 1,000 houses had been built) to join up with Wolverhampton Road.Alder Coppice Primary School was opened on the Northway estate in 1963.
Adjoining the estate is Sedgley Hall Park, built in the grounds of Sedgley Hall, a 15th century house which was demolished in 1966.
The centre of the Northway Estate features a shopping area, medical centre, supermarket and public house.
Woodsetton
Situated east of Sedgley town centre, on the main road towards Tipton – although most of it has a Dudley DY1 postcode. The original parish of Woodsetton takes in Dudley CastleDudley Castle
Dudley Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Dudley Zoo is located in its grounds. The location, Castle Hill, is an outcrop of Wenlock Group limestone that was extensively quarried during the Industrial Revolution, and which now along with Wren's Nest Hill is a...
, hence a famous local history question: 'What is the oldest building in Sedgley?' Famous buildings in Woodsetton include Holdens Brewery
Holdens Brewery
Holdens Brewery is a family-run brewery which was founded in 1915 in the Park Inn at Woodsetton, Sedgley, Staffordshire, , England.-Brief Details:...
and the Park Inn public house. Since the 1950s, children in Woodsetton have had a primary school in their local community – Bramford Primary School.
The borders of the historic Woodsetton village were altered in 1926 when the rural land including Mons Hill
Mons Hill
Mons Hill is a hill situated in the West Midlands of England.It is a wooded hill which straddles the border of Dudley and Sedgley, standing to the north of the much more famous Wren's Nest hill....
, Wren's Nest
Wren's Nest
The Wren's Nest is a National Nature Reserve located to the north west of the town centre of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Today, apart from the geological interest, the site is home to a number of species of birds and locally rare flora; the caverns also support large roosting populations of bats...
hill and Dudley Castle
Dudley Castle
Dudley Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Dudley, West Midlands, England. Dudley Zoo is located in its grounds. The location, Castle Hill, is an outcrop of Wenlock Group limestone that was extensively quarried during the Industrial Revolution, and which now along with Wren's Nest Hill is a...
were transferred to Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
to enable the construction of the Priory Estate
Priory Estate
The Priory Estate is a housing estate in Dudley, West Midlands, England, which has largely been developed since 1929.-History:The Priory Estate is so named because it is located near the Priory ruins and Priory Park...
by Dudley council over the next decade.
One of the most familiar sights in the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
was the wooden cobbler's
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
hut on the corner of Sedgley Road and Birmingham New Road, which was set up by cobbler Jim Hughes during the 1950s. He remained at the site until the late 1980s, when he closed his business down and the shed was demolished.
Most of the houses in Woodsetton are on the Bramford housing estate. The first houses on the estate were built in the late 1930s, but only a handful of houses had been completed by the time the Second World War began, and the bulk of the estate was developed in the late 1940s
1940s
File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...
and 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
. Several hundred houses exist on the estate, with a mix of private and council tenure.
Sedgley Beacon
Sedgley Beacon HillBeacon Hill, Sedgley
Beacon Hill in Sedgley, England, is one of the highest points in the West Midlands, at 777 feet or 237 metres above sea level.From the summit, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham are all visible, as is the Staffordshire and Shropshire countryside to the west...
, one of several Beacon hills in England, is 237 metres (778 ft) above sea level and is the second-highest point in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
. It is well known for fossils. The hill was once the site where beacons were lit to warn local people of invaders. Sedgley Beacon Hill provides views across The Black Country, Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
to the east, and to the Wrekin, Clee Hills
Clee Hills
The Clee Hills are a range of hills in Shropshire, England near Ludlow, consisting of Brown Clee Hill , the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill...
and Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
to the west, and on very clear days it is possible to see the hills of North Staffordshire and Derbyshire, as well as the mountains of both North and South Wales. It is also possible to see another Beacon hill – Barr Beacon
Barr Beacon
Barr Beacon is a hill on the edge of Walsall, West Midlands, England, very near the border with Birmingham. It gives its name to nearby Great Barr and to the local school Barr Beacon Language College. It is historically the site of a beacon where fires were lit in times of impending attack or on...
, some 15 miles away.
A council housing estate was built at the foot of Sedgley Beacon in the interwar years and named the Beacon Estate.
Primary schools
- Queen Victoria Primary School – built in 1897, situated in the town centre. The school was one of the first to take part in a government-sponsored initiative to extend school hours with additional programs beyond the traditional school day, aimed at making better use of public resources for community benefit. New classrooms were built in 2006 to replace mobile classrooms that had been at the school since the 1970s. The original 1897 building is still in existence, and another building dating from 1931 is also still standing. Since the reconstruction of Roberts Primary School in 2000, the school has been the oldest school building in Sedgley still being used for education. Students from Queen Victoria mostly transfer to The Dormston School; situated adjacent to the Queen Victoria school site. The two schools often collaborate in enrichment programs for younger students such as the JSLA (Junior Sports Leaders Award) students attending the primary school to teach younger students. Queen Victoria students often use the Mill Theatre for school productions, notably the first production to take place under such circumstance was "A Spaceman Came Travelling" for the Millenium production. The school is a 3–11 school which includes a nursery unit which opened in the 1970s, the same time that additions were made to the primary school buildings to accommodate increased pupils. However, the school lost a significant number of its pupils to the new Alder Coppice and Cotwall End schools during the 1960s.
- Cotwall End Primary SchoolCotwall End Primary SchoolCotwall End Primary School is a primary school for boys and girls in Sedgley, West Midlands, England. There are approximately 420 pupils on the school roll. The school's head teacher is Mrs Nicole Anderton.-History:...
– built in 1962, situated about half a mile west of the town centre. It provides a one-form entry for pupils of primary school age. It became a two-form entry school in 1971 following the completion of a new infants school building. Cotwall End was originally a separate infant and junior schools (becoming a first and middle school in 1972), but merged in 1981 to form a single primary school, with the first and middle school departments reverting to infant and junior school when the leaving age was reduced from 12 to 11 in 1990. - Alder Coppice Primary School was built in 1967 and situated about a mile north-west of the town centre on the Northway Estate. The current headteacher is Dr Duncan Jones, who arrived in January 2006 to replace the retiring Mr David Cox, who had been at the school since 1999. His predecessor was Mrs Barbara Carter. The school's previous headteacher, Mr Colin Gould, left in about 1996 for disciplinary reasons. Alder Coppice was put into special measures in December 1999 after OFSTEDOffice for Standards in EducationThe Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
inspectors criticised the school's weak management of resources and lack of direction, but it came out of special measures 18 months later and is successful again. Doctor Duncan Jones took over from David Cox in January 2005. It was originally two separate infant and junior schools (5–7 and 7–11 respectively), with a nursery unit being added in the 1970s around the same time that the infant and junior schools became first and middle schools in September 1972. However, the first and middle schools merged to form a primary school in September 1988, and the two departments reverted to infant and junior in September 1990 when the age of secondary transfer was reduced from 12 to 11. - [St Chad's Catholic Primary School] is a Catholic primary school, although non-Catholic children do attend. The school opened in 1870 in a building attached to the church. Two teachers taught about 68 children. In 1876, the Victorian School was completed, but eventually became overcrowded. In 1954, work started on the New School. The first three classrooms opened in 1956. Later in 1962 the hall was added. After 1969, the old school became the Dining Room. Further classrooms were added in 1969 and 1973. All three school buildings remain on site, as does the church. It is situated about a quarter of a mile south of the town centre.
- Straits Primary School – built in 1968 to serve the (then) new Straits housing estate. It is situated about two miles south-west of the town centre. The current headmaster is Mr Adrian Slack, who has been at the helm since September 1997. On his arrival, the school had been placed into special measures by OFSTED inspectors who had criticised the school heavily under its previous management. It came out of special measures in 1999 and is now one of the strongest performing primary schools in the whole Dudley Borough. In September 1989, mobile buildings in the school grounds were used as accommodation for pupils who were starting the new Milking Bank Primary SchoolMilking Bank Primary SchoolMilking Bank is a state primary school in the West Midlands of England. It is located in the Milking Bank area of Dudley, being situated in the west of the town towards the border with Sedgley. Operating a two-form entry system, it caters for boys and girls aged 3–11...
just over the border in Dudley, as the new school building was not ready in time for the 1989/90 academic year. However, the Milking Bank pupils left the Straits site on 27 November 1989 when their new school buildings was opened. - Roberts Primary School – original building opened in 1894 as Roberts Street Infant and Junior Schools, taking their name from the street in which it was located. The infant school became the first school in September 1972 at the same time that the junior school became the middle school, with the two departments merging in September 1984, and reverting to infant and junior schools in September 1990. The old school buildings were replaced by a new, larger, building in 2000 – on the original school's playing fields – to accommodate growing pupil numbers which followed extensive house building in the surrounding area during the 1990s. It is situated about two miles south of the town centre on the border with Dudley. Construction of the new school building began during 1998 and was completed during 2000. Community facilities were later opened, and the new complex was officially opened on 13 June 2002 by The Duke of YorkPrince Andrew, Duke of YorkPrince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. - Redhall Primary School – built in the 1890s, situated about two-and-a-half miles south of the town centre.
- Bramford Primary School – situated about a mile and a half east of the town centre, it was opened during the 1950s to serve the expanding Woodsetton area, and was expanded in 2004 to include a new sports hall and several classrooms.
Secondary schools
- Dormston SchoolDormston SchoolDormston School is a secondary school for children located in Sedgley, West Midlands, England. The schools has specialist status as a Mathematics and Computing college....
– built in 1935, situated in the town centre. Has expanded greatly since the late 1960s1960sThe 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, and since 1996 has included a sixth form centre in partnership with Dudley CollegeDudley CollegeDudley College is a college of further education in Dudley, West Midlands, England.-History:In 1862 the Dudley Public Hall and Mechanics Institute was built. In 1896 this was expanded to become the Dudley Technical School, which became Dudley Technical College in 1926...
. Its status changed from secondary modern to comprehensive in 1975. The age range on its opening was 11+, before changing to 12–16 in 1972 and 11–16 in 1990. - High Arcal SchoolHigh Arcal SchoolHigh Arcal School is a comprehensive secondary school situated in Sedgley, West Midlands, England. It was opened in 1961 as a grammar school and became comprehensive in 1975. The school holds Specialist Science College status...
– built in 1961, situated about half a mile east of the town centre, and was a grammar school until becoming comprehensive in 1975. Lacked sixth form facilities from 1990 until 2002, when the sixth form being run in partnership with Dormston School and Dudley College was extended to High Arcal. - Ellowes Hall SchoolEllowes Hall SchoolEllowes Hall Sports College is a comprehensive secondary school with Sports College status situated on Stickley Lane in Lower Gornal, Dudley, West Midlands, England....
– built in 1964, situated about a mile and a half south-west of the town centre. Began life as a secondary modern school before turning comprehensive in 1975, around the same time that it gained a sixth form. Is one of the few secondary schools in the Dudley borough to have had its own sixth form in the last 35 years.
Former schools
- Flax Hall Primary School – opened in the 1950s1950sThe 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
but closed in 1989 due to falling pupil numbers. The school buildings survive and are now used as a community centre. - Tudor County Primary School – opened in the late 19th century, served the community of Upper Gornal until its closure in July 1986. The school buildings were used as an adult education centre until their demolition in 1996, when the site was redeveloped for housing.
All Saints' Church
All Saints' Church is a parish church which is situated in the town centre. The first All Saints' Church was built during the 12th century but the current structure was completed in 1805 and has a capacity to seat more than 1,300 people. The organ which was fitted in the church on its completion had originally been in Westminster AbbeyWestminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. The church is located on the corner of Vicar Street and Dean Street, with the modern vicarage and church hall on the opposite side of Vicar Street.
At the time, it was the only parish church in the large but relatively lightly populated parish of Sedgley, but the parish was later divided into five ecclesiastical districts – Sedgley, Lower Gornal, Upper Gornal, Ettingshall
Ettingshall
Ettingshall is an area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, and is a ward of Wolverhampton City Council.-History:Ettingshall was mentioned as an ancient manor in the Domesday Book of 1086...
and Coseley
Coseley
Coseley is a town located mostly within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands. Part of the Black Country, it lies south east of Wolverhampton and north of Dudley....
. Each of these newly-created parishes had their own church.
Transport
Due to its hilly geography Sedgley has never had a rail or canal link. However, it is served by bus routes to neighbouring areas such as WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, Dudley, Bilston
Bilston
Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and...
and Tipton
Tipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
.